Ventilated boot or shoe.



R. B. PRICE 6L C. LEE.

. VENTILATED BOOT OR SHOE.

APPLICATION HLED DEC. 7. l9l4.

Patented Mar. 2

L ....-MWMNMMMMM ,h w m Nl .............M...M...... .HHNMMWMMWMHT eRAYMOND B. PRICE, or NEW YORK, N. Y., AND CLIFFORD LEE, OE NAUGATUCK,

CONNECTICUT, AssIGNORs To THE GOODYEARs METALLIC RUBBER sHOE COM- PANY,A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

vENTILATEn ROOT OR sHoE.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar.. 26, 1918.

Application led December 7, 1914. Serial No. 875,796.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RAYMOND B. PRICE and CLIFFORD LEE, both citizens ofthe United States, and residents of the city of New York, county andState of New York, and Naugatuck, county of New Haven, State ofConnecticut, respectively, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Ventilated Boots or Shoes, of which the following is afull, clear, and eXact disclosure.

This invention relates to ventilated boots, shoes, etc., and has for anobject to provide a self-contained, positively acting device operativeby movement of the wearers foot for removing air from contact with thefoot and preventing its coming again into contact therewith undiluted.

Exudations come from the foot in the form of vapor and this vapor isoften condensed and accumulates as moisture upon the inside of thearticle of footwear with attendant discomfort to the wearer. Excesshumidity within the article of footwear is an other cause of discomfort.The capacity of footwear for permitting transpiration, determines to agreat extent the amount of moisture accumulation upon the sock orhumidity within the article of footwear.-

In footwear formed of leather, rubber, or other well known materials,whose transpiration-permitting qualities are limited, attempts have beenmade to obviate excess humidity and moisture accumulation by introducingair into or withdrawing air from the article of footwear, but at bestthese attempts have produced wholly or in part a churning of air .aroundthe foot, and this is inadequatefor attaining the results sought.

The solution of this problem lies in producing a positive withdrawal ofexudations from around the foot and expulsion of the same into theexterior atmosphere as fast as given off by the foot. To attain thisend, I provide a compact self-contained bellows concealed in the bottomof the boot or shoe and operated by the pressure of the foot at eachstep to cause a positive current of air to flow from around the foot tothe exterior atmosphere. Experiment has proved that a large volume ofair should be withdrawn, not less than 5 c. c., under averagevconditions, at a step to prevent moisture accumulation and insurecomfort. To accomplish this, I provideA in connection with the bellows,novel air ducts through which the bellows can readily exhaust thenecessary volume of air, suitable check valves being provided to preventreverse movement of the alr.

The invention can readily be understood from the following description,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa plan view of an insole embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 2 2 Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1 with parts removedand parts in section.

I may incorporate the invention in the outsole, insole, outheel, inheel,or any attachment of these parts, or even in the arch of the boot orshoe, regardless of whether said parts are integral or separate from theboot or shoe, and for the purposes of illustration, I will illustratethe invention in connection with an insole which I construct of a toplayer 10, preferably of rubber skim coated fabric, and a bottom layer11, preferably of sheet rubber, the bottom layer having formed integraltherewith, elastic pegs 12. Both layers are separated at the edges by agasket 13 preferably of rubber, cemented or otherwise secured airtightto both layers. The gasket has formed integral therewith at the insteporl shank of the insole a cross piece which constitutes a valve chest14, the same dividing the space within the inclosure of the gasket intotwo airtight chambers, one at the toe and the other at the heel .of theinsole.

Supported bythe pegs 12 of the toe and heel chambers respectively, arestiff plates 15 and 16 of wood liber, metal or other suitable material,these plates being smaller in, size than their respective chambers andbeing forced down with the top layer to simultaneously compress theelastic pegs beneath them when subjected to pressure by the foot inwalking and being raised by the return of the pegs to normal conditionupon Ythe pressure being released, whereby two bellows chambers 17 and18 are formed, one at the toe and the other at the heel of the insole.

Secured to the bottom face of the top layer 10 is a narrow strip 19,referably of rubber, upon which longitudinal threads 20. of rubber,fabric or other suitable material are molded, cemented, or otherwisesecured to form air ducts 20', which extend longitudinally of thetoplayer, the marginal edges of the strip being cemented or otherwisesecured air-tight to the top layer, to seal these ducts from bothbellows. Communication between the air ducts and the sole of the foot isestablished by means of staggered perforations 21, formed along themedial longitudinal diameter of the top layer, and communication betweenthese ducts andthe valve chest is established through an opening 22 inthe strip 19.

The valve chest 14 is formed with an inlet assage 23 which communicateswith the air ucts through the opening 22 and which communicates with thetoe and heel bellows through respective ports *which are controlled bycheck valves 24 and 25 that open toward the bellows and prevent backwardmovement of the air therefrom into the valve chest. The valve chest is,also provided with an exhaustpassage 26 which communicates with the toeand heel bellows through respective ports which are controlled by checkvalves 27 and 28 that open toward the exhaust passage and preventbackward movement of the air therefrom into the bellows. An outlet pipe29 is connected with the exhaust passage and may be conducted through-the upper of the boot or shoe, equipped with the insole to establishcommunication between the exhaust passage and atmosphere.

In operation when the wearer plants the foot upon the ground, thepressure of the foot compresses the bellows with a resultant forcing oftheir contained air through the check valves 27 and 28 into the exhaustpassage 26 and from thence through the tube 29 to the atmosphere. Uponthe foot being lifted the pressure upon the bellows is release whereuponthe same expand to normal position with a resultant creation of apartial vacuum which causes a suction of air downward in the article offootwear and across the sole of the foot through the perforations 21,air ducts 20', opening 22, inlet passage 23 and check valves 24 and 25,to satisfy the partial vacuum in the bellows, this a1r being expelled tothe exterior atmosphere upon the foot again being planted upon theground, as above described.

While I have shown and described a structure for practising myinvention, I do not limit myself to the particular structure shown anddescribed, since it is simply essential to the practice of my inventionthat a bottom portion of a boot or shoe be conraconta structed toprovide a self-contained bellows in connection with air channels andsuitable check valves to make the action of the air positive.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a boot or shoe, air ducts, bellows sealed airtight from the `airducts, a valve chest communicating with the bellows and with the airducts, and4 inlet and exhaust valves in the valve chest permitting thepassage of air through the chest in a continuous direction.

2. In a boot or shoe, air ducts having inlet 'openings arranged tocommunicate with the sole of the wearers foot, bellows sealed airtightfrom the air ducts, a valve chest communicating` with the bellows andwith the air ducts, and inlet and exhaust valves in the valve chest forpermitting the passage of air therethrough in a continuous direction.

3. In a boot or shoe, air ducts, bellows sealed airtight from the airducts, a valve chest having an inlet passage communicating with the airducts and having an outlet passage, check valves in the valve chestpreventing retrograde ymovement of air from the bellows to the airducts, and check valves in the valve chest preventing retrogrademovement of air from the outlet passage to the bellows.

4. In a boot or shoe, a toe bellows, a heel bellows, air ductscommunicating with the interior of the boot or shoe, a valve chestcommunicating with the bellows and with the air ducts, 4checkvalvespermitting the passage of air from the valve chest into the bellows, andcheck valves permitting the passageof air .from the bellows to theatmosphere.

5. In a boot or shoe, air ducts communicating with the interior of theboot or shoe, a valve chest, bellows having communication with the airducts and with the atmosphere through the valve chest, and check valvesin the valve chest permitting the bellows only to alternately suck airthrough the ducts and exhaust it into the atmosphere.

Signed as New York, N. Y., Nov. 30th,

RAOND B. PRICE. a

Witnesses:

FRANCIS Bom, FRED C. BA'rcHELLoR.

Signed at Naugatuck, Conn., Nov. 27,

lCLIFFORD LEE. Witnesses:

CORNELIUS J. Kamm, GEORGE P. YOUNG.

